Witchblade: Volume I: Borne Again by Ron Marz and others

Witchblade: Volume 1: Borne Again
by Ron Marz

Before I read this I had only read the Witchblade/Lara Croft crossover. I am reading the current series Tomb Raider comics so I know about that character, but this introduction to Witchblade made me want to read more. This graphic novel collection is available on Hoopla, so I gave it a try and I really liked it. The Witchblade is a glove that bonds into the wearer with the power to transform the them into a strong armored version of herself and gives her other powers, including healing abilities. It has been worn by numerous women in the past; currently its wearer is Sara Pezzini, a sheriff in present day NY state. The crimes she solves on the job, sometimes also involve monsters which inhabit the world (unknown to most of the citizens), which she fights using the Witchblade.

In this book there are two overlapping stories; one in the present and one in the past. The story in the past shows how she tried to rid herself of the Witchblade and lock it away safely in the Vatican so no one else could yield it and in the present, a being of light obtains part of it. There is a lot of past and present character development in this story. It’s not clear when she merged with the Witchblade in the first place, but she says it’s been so much of her life she can’t seem to separate the two. The story in the past shows that she’s had enough of fighting monsters because of the toll it took on her and her family (lost her daughter and turned to drinking). However, the story in present shows her coming to terms with the fact that she and the Witchblade are inseparable. I really enjoyed this, but I ought to say that there is violence, blood, people with their heads cut off, and creepy monsters in the pages, so if you don’t want that kind of thing in what you read, then this is not for you, nor is it for children. I liked this one because of the mystery and fantasy elements and because of the deepness and complexity the character has, so I will definitely be reading more.

If you want to try this one you can check it out on Hoopla, which is a digital streaming service our library subscribes to. There is not much in the way of set up, you simply go to www.hoopladigital.com (or follow a link from our online catalog) to create an account, and then view the book through your browser. For graphic novels like this one it allows you to see the whole page at once and or you can be zoomed in on each box to read the text easier or check out the details in the art. If you like this item, you might like these too – There are other Witchblade graphic novels available on Hoopla; I didn’t look closely when checking this out but the four issues just before this are available (Rebirth Vol. 4) as is a Witchblade / Devi crossover.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Danger Girl series, available on Hoople. It’s a bit like James Bond, with a group of spy girls and less of the supernatural stuff.] [ publisher’s official Witchblade: Borne Again web page ] | [ official Ron Marz blog ]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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